Bluesfest Wins Best Major Festival And Event At NSW Tourism Awards

Australia's largest and most prolific blues festival, Byron Bay Bluesfest, has picked up a gold award at the NSW Tourism Awards for the Best Major Festival and Event.

It's a big win for the festival with Peter Noble at the helm, having just been nominated for the fourth time running for the PollStar Awards' International Music Festival Of The Year award this year. 

Bluesfest was up against Tamworth Country Music Festival (silver), Vivid Sydney (bronze) and Handa Opera On Sydney Harbour (runner-up) for the top gong.

Noble said of the win: "What an honour. We just won our third NSW Tourism Award. We really didn't expect to win. The competition was fierce, and it gets harder every year to be nominated. I really must pay tribute to all the Bluesfest team for this award. There are so many people who work so hard for 12 months a year with little down time to make this incredible event what it is."

Noble thanks everyone from the ground staff to the food and beverage managers in his lengthy statement.

"From the traffic management and parking attendants, the box office and entry staff, the camping and volunteer management staff, the recycling and environmental staff, our stalls, food and beverage managers, site managers, ground staff, volunteers, production team, caterers, contractors and suppliers, touring team, Indigenous presenters, back of house staff, administration, publicists, social media people, I.T staff, and especially our driver team, who lost their captain this year, Tony Llord, who left the planet just over a week ago after being with us for over seventeen years. Also to every one of the people not listed above, the many hundreds of you, I dedicate this award to you.

"Your dedication, professionalism, enthusiasm and positive energy cannot be bought."